The different ways we still view black and white violence: Letters

What do the events in Ferguson, Mo., and the apparent attempt at another mass school shooting at South Pasadena High have to say about the way we think about race in the U.S.? At Ferguson, we saw predominantly black people protesting a highly questionable police shooting of an unarmed black youth. In the midst of the peaceful protesters were a relatively small number of hostile agitators bent on violence and destruction.

At South Pas High, two boys were arrested before they allegedly could carry out the kind of mass shooting that has become all too common in the U.S. We don’t know the race of these boys, but the chances are they are white. After all, it is South Pasadena. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of the shooters in these school shootings, according to a 2012 Washington Post study, are white.

If we are honest, most white Americans see individual blacks acting badly as somehow reflective of their blackness. But when whites engage in similar, egregiously bad behavior, most of us, black and white, see individuals acting up and don’t attribute such behavior to race. Why is that? Much can and should be said about this consequential discrepancy and its many causes, both historical and contemporary. Here, I just offer it as something to ponder.

— Robert Carlson, Pasadena

Police could take tips from teachers on keeping order

Responding to letter writer Fred Crane: No, it’s the police who have to know how to act around citizens. One does not teach or gain respect by intimidation and harassment. You teach by knowing what is right. You gain respect by leading by example. Most teachers, myself included, maintain a roomful of chaos sometimes and do so without intimidation or harassment. Maybe the police need to return to class and take a refresher course in maintaining order.

— Vicki Rensch, Glendora

Pork in the parks doesn’t help the new trees grow

Paraphrasing letter writer Kathleen Clark of Monrovia: “It’s a shame about the added pork in the San Gabriel Mountains bill designating a portion of funds to local parks and school districts outside of the mountains. The local parks should be funded locally, not by the U.S. taxpayers.”

Clark is right on target. I challenge anyone considering a vote for more federal funds going to local tree planting, etc., projects, to tour parks and schools that are included in the “Emerald Necklace.” Witness for yourself how the thousands of California native trees and plants that were planted within the past 10 years are being cared for.

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If this questionable maintenance is any indication of what is to be expected of yet more federal voter-approved money going locally, God help us.

— Bob Ginn, Arcadia

Before the facts are in

Did the shooting of Michael Brown represent excessive use of force, was it racially motivated, is racism a national trend? Various factions have sadly reached conclusions before the facts are in, and looters indifferent to justice have taken advantage. A court of law must weigh all the evidence. It’s also imperative to stop labeling political disagreements as racist. One side believes crime is caused by poverty due to inadequate social programs. The other side claims overly generous social welfare programs remove the incentive to work, erode moral structure and produce more crime. Neither view is racist. While one might think self-respecting folks should make efforts to escape dependency, it’s easy to see how people can become trapped by such a system. Rodney King asked, succinctly, “Can we all get along?”